Running With the Wolves
by Black Dragon 42
Summary: The group has escaped the CDC and are heading towards Fort Benning. Gale is still trying to figure out her role as Alpha and is trying to find the right balance. What new challenges will she face? And with a little girl, Sophia, missing, how will the pack handle it? And what will she do about her attraction to the resident redneck of the group? Sequel to What Walks the Earth.
1. What Lies Ahead Part 1

**Chapter 1: What Lies Ahead Part 1**

Rick had made the decision to try to go to Fort Benning. It was our only choice for a safe place, but we had to lose some of our vehicles to save gas. We would keep the RV, Carol's Cherokee, and Ronnie's Dodge. Daryl would be taking his brother's motorcycle, T-Dog would lose his church van and ride in the RV, and Shane lost his Jeep to walkers and would also be riding in the RV. We were moving everything now, and I was putting my duffle into Ronnie's pickup truck; I would have my bow and arrows with me.

Daryl had offered for me to ride with him on the motorcycle. I said yes that way I wouldn't have to ride in the RV. I really didn't like the way Andrea was looking at Dale with anger. I also didn't want to have to explain what went on at the CDC between me and Daryl to my family if I rode with them. So, here we were riding down the interstate, Daryl and I at the front, Dale driving the RV behind us, Rick driving Carol's Cherokee, and Ronnie bringing up the rear.

My mind was wandering to the different things that happened, but mostly to how I would be able to deal with Alex. If he showed signs of healing quickly, then my pack might have to find somewhere to hold up for a bit. The full moon had just passed not long ago, so we had a little bit of time to figure something out. I looked forward as Daryl started to slow down to see a massive roadblock of cars. _'Well this isn't good.'_

Daryl turned us around to go back to the RV. Pulling up beside it, Dale yelled to be able to be heard over the roar of the engine. "See away through?"

Daryl nodded his head to follow him. When he circled back, we led the way through the cars. That was until I heard the radiator on the RV blow. I tapped Daryl on the shoulder to get his attention and nodded behind me when he looked back at me. "RV's down!" I shouted over the engine.

He nodded and pulled over and allowed me to get off before he put the kickstand down. Daryl gave me a look as I stretched out my legs. "It's been a while since I've ridden a motorcycle that long," I answered his unasked question.

He nodded in understanding. "You did good though."

I smiled at his compliment before we walked over to the rest of the group. Daryl started to go through one of the nearby car trunks and I saw another one that I started to go through as well. I heard Dale start to complain about not having a radiator hose but cut himself off when he realized where we were.

"If you can't find a radiator hose here…" Shane trailed off.

"There's a whole bunch of stuff we can find," Daryl finished still looking through the car's trunk.

"I can siphon more fuel from these cars for a start," T-Dog offered.

"Maybe some water," Carol suggested.

"Maybe some food," Ronnie continued.

"This is a graveyard," Lori pointed out. Everyone stopped what they were doing to look at her. "I don't know how I feel about this."

I looked over to my family to see Alex trying to cover his nose from the smell and Leah looking a little scared. "We all understand how you feel Lori," I told her, and she looked at me. "But we need this stuff a lot more than they do, and we need it to survive."

T-Dog went back to the RV to grab what he needed to siphon fuel while Shane gave everyone the order to gather what they could. I nodded my head to my family to see what they could find. When the kids passed by me, I gave out an order of my own. "Alex, Leah, stay within eyesight of us okay?"

They both gave me a nod and went to look at some of the nearby cars. Abby, Ronnie, and Matthew came up to me, all with confused looks. "I think that Alex might be starting the change," I told them quietly. Abby looked a little alarmed and turned towards her son. I placed a hand on her shoulder to get her to focus on me again. "Just keep an eye on him. We have a little bit more time before the next full moon."

They all nodded at me and I went to look in a few cars on the other side of the highway. Dale was on top of the RV with Andrea inside and Rick had one of the rifles and was keeping watch from the ground. I found a cooler with a couple boxes of granola bars and a few bottles of water. In the same car, I found a first aid kit as well. That was when I heard a loud whisper of my name.

Looking back across the highway, Rick was trying to flag me and motioned for me to get under the car. He then ran off and I looked down the highway to see a large group of walkers coming down the highway. I quickly ducked under the car in order to not to be seen. I watched as a lot of feet shuffled by the car that I was under.

Closing my eyes, I focused my hearing to try and find the heartbeats of everyone. I could easily pick out the rapid heartbeats of the living among the slow heartbeat of the dead. Suddenly, the scent of blood hit my nose and a lot of it. I worried that whoever it was would be safe from the passing group of walkers. After what felt like forever, the group of walkers passed, and I climbed out from under the car.

A sudden scream and growls caught my attention and I ran over to the opposite railing to just see Rick run past into the trees. I decided to let him handle it and went to check on everyone. Abby, Ronnie and Matthew were unharmed, and Alex and Leah were okay as well. Carol was despondent about her daughter being chased by walkers and wouldn't leave the rail. Matthew took watch on the RV, while Shane and Daryl stood on top of the hoods of a couple cars for extra support.

T-Dog got a major cut on his arm and Abby was seeing to getting it fixed up. I had gotten the first aid kit that I found so she could look it over. While we were waiting, I was looking through a nearby car, when I heard footsteps approaching. Looking up, I found Alex standing next to the car I was at. He looked worriedly at me, like he feared what he was about to say.

"What's wrong Alex?" I asked him in concern.

"What's happening to me?" he asked in a small voice.

I frowned and bent down to his level. "What do you mean? What's going on Alex?"

Alex looked at his feet. "When Carl and I hid under a car, I got cut on my arm. However, I noticed the cut was gone when we got out." He showed me his arm where he got cut, there was some blood on his sleeve to show where he got cut.

I gave him a comforting smile and put a hand on his shoulder. "Have your parents told you much about the change?" Alex gave me a confused look and shrugged a little.

"Gale!" Matthew called from the top of the RV. "Rick is back!"

"We'll talk later okay?" I asked and Alex gave me a nod. Then we walked over to the railing as Rick came through the tree line alone.

***Running with the Wolves***

Shane, Daryl, Matthew, Glenn and I all followed Rick to the last place that he saw Sophia. We went to the creek and Rick, Daryl, and I climbed down into it in order to look at the spot. "You sure this is the spot?" Daryl asked Rick.

"I left her right there," Rick told him, gesturing to an opening in the roots of a tree at the edge of the creek. "I led the walkers way off in that direction up the creek."

"Without a paddle—seems where we've landed," Daryl muttered, looking around the banks of the creek.

"She was gone by the time I got back here," Rick continued. "I figured she just took off and ran back to the group. I told her to go that way and keep the sun on her left shoulder." He pointed in the direction that he told her.

Daryl and I went to look at the shoreline that he pointed to. "Hey, short round, why don't you step off to one side?" Daryl asked of Glenn, who was standing on the trail. "You're mucking up the trail."

"Assuming she knows her left from her right," Shane responded to Rick.

"Shane, she understood me fine," Rick argued him.

"Kid's tired and scared, man," Shane argued back. "She had her a close call with two walkers. Gotta wonder how much of what you said stuck."

I sent a glare at Shane. I didn't like how Shane was constantly second-guessing Rick. They were supposed to be best friends, but it seemed that he was blocking him at every turn. However, he then went along with whatever it was that Rick said at little later. I was starting to wonder if it had anything to do with Lori and Carl. From what I understood, Shane had saved Lori and Carl from the town they lived in by telling them that Rick was dead. But when Lori hugged me, I could smell another male on her; a smell that I later identified as Shane's scent.

"Got clear prints right here," Daryl announced, and pointed to them so that I could see. "She did like you said, headed back to the highway. Let's spread out, make our way back."

Shane gave Daryl a handout of the creek, who turned around to help me out. I gave him a nod as a thank you and got a nod in return. Daryl moved to the front of the group and I looked at Matthew. "Follow behind him and find her scent," I ordered him.

Matthew nodded and followed behind Daryl, finding the trail he was following and looked over his shoulder when he found her scent trail as well. We followed Daryl through the woods. His eyes were constantly on the ground following the trail. Instead of watching the ground, I found myself watching Daryl and the way that I could see his back muscles rippling underneath his shirt. I had to shake my head to get the thoughts that were forming out of my head and focus on the task at hand.

We came to a small break in the trees when Daryl stopped and knelt to the ground to get a closer look. "She was doing just fine till right here," he told us. "All she had to do was keep going. She veered off that way."

"Why would she do that?" Glenn asked.

"Maybe she saw something that spooked her, made her run off," Shane suggested.

"A walker?" Glenn asked.

Daryl shook his head. "I don't see any other footprints. Just hers."

"And I don't smell any walkers," Matthew agreed, looking at me for confirmation. I nodded because I didn't smell any either.

"So, what do we do?" Shane questioned. "All of us press on?"

"No, better you, Glenn, and Matthew get back up to the highway," Rick replied. "People are gonna start panickin'. Let 'em know we're on her trail doin' everythin' we can but, most of all, keep everyone calm."

"I'll keep 'em busy scavenging cars," Shane assured Rick. "Think up a few other chores. I'll keep 'em occupied. Come on."

Shane and Glenn went to walk back to the highway, and I grabbed Matthew's arm to stop him. When he looked at me, I gave him a serious look. "Keep an eye on Alex," I ordered him. "He's healing now and tell Abby and Ronnie to talk to him about the change."

Matthew's eyes widened but he nodded all the same. He followed Shane and Glenn back to the highway and turned back to Rick and Daryl. We followed Daryl, who was following Sophia's trail.

Rick gave me a side glance. "What's going on with Alex?"

I looked over at him before going back to looking at the ground. "Alex is going through what we call the change. It's were born werewolves get their abilities such as hearing, smell and healing. The rest come with their first full moon. However, I'm worried about when the full moon comes."

"How so?" Daryl asked, still following the trail.

"The first full moon for any werewolf is hard, whether you're born or bitten," I explained. "You get hit with anger and bloodlust, among other things and it makes everyone uncontrollable. Sometimes you can control them, but not always." I noticed the nervous look that Rick gave me. "We have a little bit before the next full moon to figure out what to do."

Rick nodded and looked back to the ground following Daryl. Soon, Daryl had to slow down and kneel a little to get a better look at the ground.

"Tracks are gone," Rick pointed out.

"No, they're faint, but they ain't gone," Daryl told him. He motioned to the forest floor. "She came through here."

"How can you tell?" Rick wondered. "I don't see anythin'. Dirt, grass…"

"You want a lesson in tracking, or you want to find that girl and get our ass off that interstate?"

***Running with the Wolves***

We kept following the faint footsteps until we heard a rustling in the woods. Immediately, the three of us ducked down and scanned the surrounding area. I sniffed the air and smelled a walker close by. I tapped both Rick and Daryl on the shoulders and pointed in the direction of the smell. Daryl pointed for the three of us to spilt up; Rick going one way and Daryl and I going another direction.

Rick nodded and moved off, and I followed Daryl. We found a walker and I stringed an arrow, aiming it at the walker. Rick whistled at the walker and, as soon as he turned to him, the walker started to growl. I let my arrow fly and into the walker's head. We all approached the downed walker, and I put a foot on its shoulder to take out the arrow. I smelled fresh blood on the walker and bent down to get a closer smell and Rick bent down next to me to look at the hands of the walker.

"Sophia!" Daryl shouted out. He then saw what Rick and I was doing. "What're you lookin' for?"

"Skin under the fingernails," Rick muttered in response.

"It smells like fresh blood," I told him as Rick rolled the walker over. "It fed recently."

Rick pulled out gloves and examined the teeth bringing out some flesh. "There's flesh caught in its teeth."

Daryl was knelt beside Rick and I looking at the flesh in Rick's hand. "Yeah, but what kind of flesh?"

Rick gave Daryl a hesitant look. "Only one way to find out." He took out his pocketknife, but Daryl stopped him by standing up.

"Here, I'll do it," Daryl offered and put on his gloves. He took his buck knife out and started to position it over the walker's stomach. "How many kills you skin and gutted in your life? Anyway, mine's sharper."

Before he cut the walker open, I stood up and walked a few paces away from where they were. "I'll keep watch," I muttered as I went. There was a stump and I got on top of it.

"The smell still bothering you?" Rick tried to tease me as Daryl started to cut into the walker.

I could hear Rick trying to keep the gag reflex at bay, and I scoffed. "Worse for me than you Rick."

I heard the grunts and squishing noises from where they were cutting open the walker. The smell wasn't as strong from where I was, but it still stunk.

"Now here comes the bad part," I heard Daryl mutter. I glanced over my shoulder at what they were doing and saw Daryl stick both hands inside the walker's gut. I turned back around to look back out at the forest to watch for more walkers. "Yeah, Hoss had a big meal not long ago. I feel it in there."

I heard a ripping sound and heard as they took out the stomach. "Here's the gut bag," Daryl said putting it on the ground.

"I got this," Rick told him, taking over cutting into the stomach.

It took a moment, but they eventually found what they were looking for. "This gross bastard had himself a woodchuck for lunch," Daryl commented.

"At least we know," Rick muttered.

"At least we know," Daryl agreed.

I looked over to them to see them standing and making their way over to me. Rick walked past me, and Daryl was smirking at me. I raised my eyebrow at him as I got off the stump and we followed Rick back to the highway. "What're you smirkin' at?" I asked him.

"Yer gonna have to get used to the smell eventually," Daryl pointed out. "The smell can't bother ya forever."

I just laughed at his comment. "That maybe true, but that day is not today."

Daryl chuckled at my comeback and we continued to follow Rick through the woods.

***Running with the Wolves***

It started to get dark as we made our way back. When we broke through the tree line, everyone was crowded around the railing. Carol was the first that we saw coming to us. She frantically looked around us, expecting Sophia to walk out from behind us. When she didn't see her, Carol started to tear up. "You didn't find her?"

"Her trail went cold," Rick explained. "We'll pick it up again at first light."

"You can't leave my daughter out there on her own," Carol sniffed. "To spend the night alone in the woods."

"Out in the dark's no good," Daryl agreed with Rick. "We'd just be trippin' over ourselves. More people would get lost."

"But she's twelve," Carol argued. "She can't be out there on her own. You didn't find anything?"

Rick looked back at Daryl and I, sharing a look with each of us. "I know this is hard, but I'm asking you not to panic," he said in a soothing tone. "We know she was out there."

"We tracked her for a while," I jumped in.

"We have to make this an organized effort," Rick told everyone. "Daryl knows the woods better than anybody, and Gale has the best nose and can help him to track. I've asked them both to oversee this."

Carol noticed the blood on Daryl's pants and started to breath heavier, and I heard her heartbeat speed up. "Is that…? Is that blood?"

Rick started to look nervous. "We took down a walker."

"Walker?" Carol gasped. "Oh my God…" Abby and Lori kept by her and were rubbing her shoulders and back.

"There was no sign that it was anywhere near Sophia," Rick tried to assure Carol.

"How can you know that?" Andrea asked.

Rick looked at a loss and looked to Daryl, who looked kind of startled to be put on the spot. "We cut the sumbitch open—made sure."

"Oh God…" Carol got weak in the knees and quickly sat down on the railing and Lori moved to sit down next to her, still rubbing her arm. Carol was trying to hard not to break down crying, but that just made her breathing more ragged. She then turned on Rick. "How could you leave her out there to begin with?" she accused him. "How could you just leave her?"

Rick knelt in front of Carol and the look on his face broke my heart. He looked so desperate for understanding and worry that Sophia would be alright. "Those two walkers were on us," he tried to reason with her. "I had to draw them off. It was her best chance."

"Sounds like he didn't have a choice Carol," Shane said in Rick's defense.

"How was she supposed to find her way back on her own?" Carol sobbed. "She's just a child. She's just a child…"

"It was my only option," Rick begged her to understand. "The only choice I could make."

"I'm sure nobody doubts that," Shane encouraged. I shot Shane a glare that told him to shut up.

"My little girl got left in the woods," Carol whimpered and continued to cry.

Rick stood up and started to walk away to rummage through more cars before dark. I sighed and climbed over the railing with Daryl right behind me. Ronnie walked up to me, slightly glaring at Daryl as he followed me. I smacked his shoulder and gave him a glare of my own. He quit glaring but still starred at Daryl. "What's up Ronnie?" I asked to get his attention.

It worked as Ronnie turned back to me. "We had a talk with Alex, and he understands what's going on now. But he'll still need the Alpha talk from you."

I nodded at him. "Maybe tomorrow. We all need to get some rest before we go out looking for Sophia."

Ronnie nodded at walked off to tell the others but glanced back at Daryl one more time. As he walked away, I shook my head at his protectiveness and looked back at Daryl when he tapped my shoulder. Daryl motioned for me to follow him and he led me to cleared out SUV. I smiled at his thoughtfulness and got in. Daryl followed me and closed the door behind me.

We put the double seats down so it would be more like a bed. The two of us laid down and just sort of stared at each other. Daryl was on his side, propped up on his elbow. "So, what's the deal with Ronnie?" he asked casually. "It seems like he got real protective all of a sudden."

I laughed lightly at his observation. "Ronnie has been my best friend since elementary school and has always been protective of me. Being protective of another pack member is normal, but Ronnie has always been overprotective of me. He knew about what my father would do to me and knew that he would never be the overprotective father, so he took on that role. He always gave the big brother speech to whoever I was dating along with my actual older brother, Casey."

"So, we're dating now?" Daryl asked with a smirk on his face.

I felt my face heat up and I turned my face away to hide it. I felt Daryl's hand on my cheek and let him turn my face back to him. Daryl's smirk went to an actual smile, before he leaned in and kissed me again. I closed my eyes and leaned into the kiss. This one was a little more aggressive than the other ones, and I reached up to run my hands through his short brown hair. We kissed like that for a while before we both needed air.

We both were breathing heavily as we stared into each other's eyes. I felt like his artic blue eyes were staring right through me. "So, I guess we are together?" I wondered.

Daryl simply smirked again at me before kissing me again. We kissed for a little while longer, then it was dark and we both got some sleep.


	2. What Lies Ahead Part 2

**Chapter 2: What Lies Ahead Part 2**

I awoke to the sound of someone banging on the door of the SUV. Daryl's arm was around my waist and I was snuggled next to his chest. I looked up at Daryl who was also awake. The banging continued and we got up. Daryl opened the door to find Matthew at the back of the SUV. The two of them had a stare down as I got out of the SUV and closed the door. I moved around Daryl and shoved Matthew's shoulder to get him to start walking away.

He was a little hesitant but eventually started to walk with the two of us behind him. We gathered around a car next to RV as Rick unfolded a pack of knives and other weapons. "Everyone takes a weapon," Rick instructed everyone.

"These aren't the kind of weapons we need," Andrea complained. "What about the guns?"

"We've been over that," Shane said in exasperation. "Daryl, Gale, Rick and I are carrying. We can't have people poppin' off rounds every time a tree rustles."

"It's not the trees I'm worried about," Andrea muttered.

"Say someone fires at the wrong moment and a herd happens to be passin' by," Shane said. "See, then it's game over for all of us. So, you need to get over it."

Andrea looked away, seeming put down, for now.

I turned to Daryl for the plan. "The idea is to take the creek up about five miles, turn around, and come back down the other side," Daryl explained. "Chances are, she'll be by the creek. It's her only landmark."

"Stay quiet and stay sharp," Rick instructed. "Keep space between you, but always within sight of each other."

"Everyone assemble your packs," Shane ordered.

I went to get my bag from the truck and made sure that I had enough in there and keep up with everyone. Abby approached me with a concerned look on her face and Alex next to her. I gave her a nod and she went to get her stuff ready. I knelt to look Alex in his eyes. "So, you know what's going on now?"

Alex nodded and looked down at his feet, kicking the pavement slightly in nervousness. I put my hand on his shoulder to look at me. "We'll figure out what to do about the full moon, I promise," I told him sincerely. "But right now, you need to know that with me as the Alpha, you listen to what I say. If I tell you to do something, you need to listen. And once we find a place to stay, we'll continue with training."

Alex nodded again at me and looked like he wanted to say something.

"You can say what you want to Alex," I told him.

"You won't be demanding like grandpa, will you?" he asked in a timid voice.

His question caught me off guard. I had almost forgotten that before me, my father had been their Alpha. I had hoped he wouldn't have been too hard on his own grandchildren, but I guess not. I glanced up to where Ronnie and Abby were watching us with worried looks. Looking back at Alex, I gave a reassuring smile. "I'm not like he was," I assured him. "I won't ever give you an order that you would be uncomfortable with. I welcome it if you disagree with my decisions. I promise that I won't be hard on you."

Alex gave me a real smile that showed off his dimples and I smiled back at him. Standing up, I led him back to his parents and sent them a nod that we were good. Rejoining the group and coming to a stop beside Daryl, I caught the tail end of Andrea's rant to Dale. I thought she was being unreasonable about Dale saving her, but I really didn't have any say in what she did. I would want someone to pull me off the ledge like Dale did, but I would probably be just as pissed off.

***Running with the Wolves***

Daryl and I took the lead at the front of the group and were following Rick and Sophia's trail. It was quiet for the most part, other than hearing a few words exchanged by a few members of the group. I kept glancing around the woods to see if I could find anything, occasionally looking down at the trail we were following. That was when I saw a tent through the trees.

"Daryl," I whispered to hunter in front of me. When he looked back at me, I nodded to tent that I spotted through the trees.

Daryl nodded, motioning to Rick to get down low, and he motioned to everyone to do the same. As we approached the tent, Daryl lowered his crossbow and handed it to me. I took it and Daryl took out his buck knife, standing next to the opening of the tent. Shane stood at the other end with his gun out.

"Carol," Rick whispered, motioning for her to join us near the tent. Carol hurriedly came over to stand right behind Rick. "Call out softly. If she's in there, yours is the first voice she should hear."

"Sophia?" Carol called out just loud enough for anyone in the tent to hear her. "Sweetie? Are you in there? Sophia, it's mommy. Sophia, we're all here, baby. It's mommy."

When no sound came from the tent, Daryl looked at Rick and me. I looked back at Ronnie, who always had the best hearing out of anyone. When he shook his head, I gave Rick a look and he nodded at Daryl to go in. He slowly unzipped the flap, before going into the tent. When the flap opened, I got hit with the smell of a decaying body. I scrunched up my nose and held my breath slightly.

"Daryl?" Carol called out hesitantly. "Daryl?"

Daryl emerged from the tent and shook his head slightly. "It ain't her," he said.

"What's in there?" Andrea asked, curious.

"Some guy," Daryl responded as he put his knife away and took his crossbow from me. "Did what Jenner said, opted out. Ain't that what he called it?"

That was when we started to hear church bells. Rick turned to follow them through the woods, and we all followed him. Rick stopped at the top of a small hill and tried to figure out which direction they were coming from. "What direction?" Shane asked out of breath.

"I think that way," Rick said pointing ahead of them. "I'm pretty sure."

"Damn, it's hard to tell out here," Shane muttered.

"If we hear them, then maybe Sophia does too," Carol said hopefully.

"Someone's ringing those bells, maybe calling others," Glenn pointed out.

"Or signaling that they found her," Andrea added.

"She could be ringin' 'em herself," Rick said. He then turned to me. "Gale?"

I turned to Ronnie and nodded to him. He nodded back before closing his eyes, trying to find the source. Opening his eyes, Ronnie moved to the front of the group. "Come on."

I followed him and noticed the questioning look Rick gave me. "Ronnie has the best hearing out of all of us," I explained quickly.

We took off after him until we broke through the tree line into a clearing that was used for a graveyard. There was a small white church at the other end of the clearing. It didn't look like there was anybody around and the bells had stopped. But I noticed that the church didn't have a steeple, so it couldn't be the right church.

My thoughts were voiced by Shane. "That can't be it," he said. "Got no steeple, no bells."

Instead of listening, Rick wiped off some sweat and then took off running across the clearing.

"Rick!" Shane called after him.

I exchanged a look with Shane, before we both took off running after Rick. We ran across the field and caught up to Rick before we reached the doors. I went up the steps with Rick and stood on the other side opposite him. I watched as he counted to three before we busted open the doors. Inside, there were three walkers sitting in the pews that slowly turned to us. Rick and Shane took point, moving towards two of the walkers.

Daryl handed me his crossbow again, and Glenn passed him his hook like weapon. Daryl went after the third walker and made kissing noises at it to make sure it came at him. The others were hacking away at the two other walkers. Once they were done, the all spread out to look if they could find Sophia. "Sophia!" Rick shouted.

Daryl approached the front of the church, where there was a huge crucifix sitting at there. "Yo, J.C.," he greeted the statue. "You takin' requests?"

"I'm telling you, it's the wrong church," Shane reasoned with Rick. "It's got no steeple, Rick. There's no steeple."

Suddenly, the bells that we hear earlier began to ring again. We all ran outside and around the building as Glenn walked over to a fuse box, ripping out the wires to make the sound stop. We all panted in exhaustion from the excitement.

"A timer," Daryl panted. "It's on a timer."

We all stood in silence for a second before Carol broke it. "I'm going back in for a bit."

Everyone went back inside as well, to try to get out of the heat. I went out among the gravestones and sat down by a tree. I was feeling a little down being in a graveyard. My unit and I would always walk through the military graveyards, saying prayers for the ones that were lost and for their families. I never joined in on the prayer, not being one for believing, but went walking with them anyway. After a little bit, I heard footsteps approach and looked up to see Daryl walking towards me.

Daryl sat down next to me but looked back over his shoulder. I followed his gaze to see both Ronnie and Matthew staring at us with their arms folded. We looked back at each other and Daryl looked a little hesitant. I heaved a heavy sigh.

"They had the brother talk with you, didn't they?" I asked. Daryl only gave me a nod in response. "Don't worry. They won't do anything to ya."

Daryl snorted in response, but still stared at me. I gave him a confused look, and Daryl shifted in his spot. "Are you sure that you want someone like me?" he wondered quietly.

I gave him a frown and gave a glare towards the guys. "Is that what they said?"

Daryl put a hand on my arm to stop me from getting up and shook his head at me. "They didn't say it. I was just thinkin' it."

I took his hand in mine and gave him a kind smile. "Daryl, you are a good man. Don't think otherwise. You're just as good as everyone else in this group. You're pretty good looking too."

Daryl smirked at my last comment and looked like he wanted to kiss me, but hesitated. "I'm not really good at all this stuff," he confessed.

I smiled again in understanding. "We can take it one day at a time," I suggested. I then looked over his shoulder and saw the group was gathering. "Guess we better head back."

We approached the group the same time that Rick and Shane came back to the group as well. "Y'all are gonna follow the creek bed back okay?" Shane told everyone. "Daryl, Gale, you two are in charge. Me and Rick—we're just gonna hang back, search this area another hour or so, just to be thorough."

Daryl gave them a confused look. "You're splittin' us up? You sure?"

"Yeah, we'll catch up with you," Shane responded with a nod.

"Take Matt with you," I suggested. Rick and Shane looked at little startled. "Matt has the best nose and knows Sophia's scent. That and he'll be extra muscle just in case."

The two men shared a look before they both nodded. I looked back at Matthew to see him nod as well and walked over so he stood next to Shane.

"I wanna stay too," Carl spoke up and everyone gave him a concerned look. "I'm her friend."

Rick and Shane looked to Lori and she looked to them. She sighed and stepped up behind her son. "Just be careful, okay?"

"I will," Carl assured her.

While they were saying goodbye to each other, I walked up to Matthew. "You okay with this?" I wanted to be sure that he was alright with my decisions.

Matthew smiled at me. "I'm fine sis and I'll be careful, so don't worry so much."

I laughed at little at him. "Just listen to Rick okay?"

Matthew nodded at me. "You got it."

Nodding at him, I gave him a pat on the shoulder before walking back to the group. I walked up just in time to see Daryl hand Lori a gun from his waistband. "Here, I got a spare, take it," he offered.

Lori took it hesitantly and we all walked back to the creek. We followed the other side before we all took a small break. I stood up at the front with Daryl and looked back to see Leah sitting down, looking exhausted. Alex stood next to his father, looking around at his surroundings. He looked like he was listening to everything around the area and I smiled. I was glad that he was starting to learn to use his abilities and that he wasn't afraid to use them.

"So, this is it?" Carol wondered. "This the whole plan?"

"I guess the plan is to whittle us down into smaller and smaller groups," Daryl responded.

"Carrying knives and pointy sticks," Andrea complained. "I see you have a gun." She was starting to get on my nerves.

"Why, you want it?" Lori snapped at her and held the gun out to her. "Here, take it. I'm sick of the looks you're giving me. All of you." She went back over to her pack and knelt next to it. Lori looked up a Carol sitting on a downed tree. "Honey, I can't imagine what you're going through. And I would do anything to stop it, but you have got to stop blaming Rick."

Carol just sort of looked at her with disbelief, so Lori continued. "It is in your face every time you look at him. When Sophia ran, he didn't hesitate, did he? Not for a second. I don't know that any of us would have gone after her the way he did or made the hard decisions that he had to make, or that anybody could have done it any differently."

Lori looked around at our small group. "Anybody? Y'all look to him and then you blame him when he's not perfect. If you think you can do this without him, go right ahead. Nobody is stoppin' you." She then took a drink of her water bottle before putting it back.

Andrea then handed the gun back to Lori. "We should keep moving."

Lori took the gun and stood up and we all followed after her, moving through the woods. After walking for a while, we all then heard something that made my nerves go on high alert and my blood run cold. A gunshot.


	3. Bloodletting & Save the Last One

**Chapter 3: Bloodletting and Save the Last One Part 1**

We kept following the creek back towards the highway, when I heard the others talking about the gunshot. "You still worrying about it?" Andrea asked Lori and we all stopped, turning around to look at her.

"It was a gunshot," Lori pointed out.

"We all heard it," Daryl said.

"Why one—Why just one gunshot?" Lori asked, turning to everyone briefly.

"Maybe they took down a walker," Ronnie offered a scenario.

Lori scoffed a bit. "Please don't patronize me. You know Rick wouldn't risk a gunshot to put down one walker, or Shane. They'd do it quietly."

"Shouldn't they have caught up with us by now?" Carol asked.

"There's nothing we can do about it anyway," Daryl reasoned. "Can't run around these woods chasing echoes. Even if Ronnie has the best ears."

"So, what do we do?" Lori questioned.

"Same as we've been," Daryl told her. "Beat the bust for Sophia, work our way back to the highway."

"I'm sure they'll hook up with us back at the RV," Abby tried to reassure Lori.

We started to move again, but Andrea talking to Carol stopped us. "I'm sorry for what you're going through. I know how you feel."

Carol looked at her with a thankful smile. "I suppose you do—thank you. The thought of her, out here by herself… It's the not knowing that's killin' me. I just keep hopin' and prayin' she doesn't end up like Amy." Carol then realized what she said and who she said it too. "Oh, God! That's the worst thing I ever said."

Andrea only shook her head. "We're all hoping and praying with you, for what it's worth."

Daryl walked over to the two women. "I'll tell you what it's worth—not a damn thing. It's a waste of time, all this hopin' and prayin'. We're gonna locate that little girl. She gonna be just fine. Am I the only one zen around here? Good lord."

That comment got me to smirk. Daryl being zen? That's a new concept. We started walking again and decided that it was best to head back towards the highway. We were trudging through some thick forest, and I hung back a little, coming beside Alex and Leah. "How are you two doing?"

"A little tired," Leah answered. "How much farther?"

I put a hand on her head and smiled softly at her. "We'll be back soon baby girl, I promise. Then you can rest okay?"

She nodded her head and gave me a tired smile. I nodded back at her and then moved to catch up with Daryl at the front of the group. He looked at me with a faint smile on his face. "What?"

He just shook his head. "You'd make a good mother," he muttered so the others wouldn't hear.

I smiled at him in response to him. Then I started to hear some complaining from the back of the group.

"How much farther?" Lori asked.

"Not much," Daryl responded. "Maybe a hundred yards as the crow flies."

"Too bad we're not crows," Andrea muttered.

After a little bit of silence, we suddenly heard Andrea's screaming. We came running through to a small clearing and saw a girl on top of a horse looking intently at Andrea. I tilted my head as I looked at her. She had short brown hair and a pretty face, but for some reason she looked really familiar, like I knew her from somewhere.

"Lori? Lori Grimes?" she asked in a rush.

"I'm Lori," Lori responded.

"Rick sent me," the girl said quickly. "You've got to come now. There's been an accident—Carl's been shot." There was a collective gasp around the group. "He's still alive but you've got to come now." Lori hesitated for a minute. "Rick needs you! Just come!"

Lori then took off her backpack and started to walk towards the horse. Daryl protested to it fervently. "Whoa-whoa-whoa! We don't know this girl! You can't get on that horse!"

When Lori still got onto the horse, Daryl just threw up his arms. The girl was trying to keep the horse still so Lori could climb on. "Rick said that you had others on the highway, that big traffic snarl?" Glenn just nodded at her dumbly, still in shock. "Backtrack to Fairburn road. Two miles down is our farm. You'll see the mailbox—name's Greene."

Before she told the horse to go, I shouted at her to stop. Once she said the name Greene, it clicked where I knew her from. When everyone turned to me, I turned to Abby. "Go with them," I told her, and she looked at me in surprise. "You were a nurse, so you can help."

Abby looked at her husband, but turned and nodded at me, walking forward towards the horse. The girl looked a little confused. "I don't have enough room on my horse for two…" she started, but I cut her off.

"She'll be able to keep up with the horse Maggie," I told her.

Maggie looked like she had seen a ghost. "Gale?"

"You don't have a lot of time," I said. Maggie nodded at me and urged the horse back the way she had come, Abby running behind her.

The walker that Maggie had hit sat up groaning, but Daryl didn't bat an eye. "Shut up," he growled, shooting the walker in the head.

We walked back the rest of the way to the highway, which wasn't far, and Dale met us at the guard rail. Glenn was the first one over the railing and told Dale that Carl had been shot.

"Shot?" Dale asked in surprise. "What do you mean shot?"

"I don't know Dale. I wasn't there," Glenn responded. "All I know is this chick rode out of nowhere like Zoro on a horse and took Lori."

"You let her?" Dale accused Daryl as he climbed over the railing.

Daryl immediately got defensive. "Climb down outta my asshole, man. Rick sent her. She knew Lori's name and Carl's. Plus, Gale sent Abby with her, so she'll be fine."

Dale looked to me as I helped a tired Leah over the railing. I nodded at him. "Abby was a nurse before everything. She'll be able to help with Carl."

Dale nodded at me, then turned to Andrea as she climbed over. "I heard screams—was that you?"

Andrea just walked past him towards the RV, so Glenn answered for her. "She got attacked by a walker. It was a close call."

Dale turned to her worried. "Andrea, are you alright?"

Andrea paused a moment and looked back at him. She looked like she was going to say something but decided not to. Instead, Andrea just shook her head and walked into the RV, slamming the door behind her. I looked down at Leah, who looked like she was about to fall over. I sighed and turned to Alex. "Alex, why don't you take your sister in the RV so you both can rest," I suggested, rather than ordered.

Alex looked like he wanted to argue, but looking at his sister, he decided to nod. He walked over and gently took hand, leading her carefully into the RV. After a few minutes of rest, Andrea eventually came out of the RV, just as Ronnie walked over to me.

"Are you gonna tell us how you knew that girl?" he asked carefully. Looking up at him, I could tell that he didn't want to overstep his boundaries as a Beta, but he was still concerned.

"How did you know her name?" Glenn joined in.

I looked around the group and noticed that everyone looked curious. I sighed heavily before explaining. "Back when I was a teenager, I took a nasty training session, and was hurt bad. Instead of going back to the house, I ran off. I collapsed on the property of a man named Hershel Greene, who was a vet, and he patched me up. He's the girl, Maggie's, father. I returned a few years later and met Maggie."

"So, Carl's in good hands?" Dale asked.

I nodded my head at him. "Very good hands."

"Well, we still need to go to this farm," Dale stated firmly.

"I won't do it," Carol instantly replied. "We can't just leave."

"Carol, the group is split," Dale reasoned. "We're scattered and weak."

"What if she comes back and we're not here?" Carol argued, and she looked around at the small group. "It could happen."

"If Sophia found her way back and we weren't here, that would be awful," Andrea agreed.

"Okay," Daryl spoke up and took control. "We gotta plan for this. I say tomorrow is soon enough to pull up stakes. Give us a chance to rig a big sign, leave her some supplies. I'll hold up here tonight, stay with the RV."

"If the RV's stayin', I am too," Dale agreed.

"Thank you," Carol said genuinely. "Thank you both."

"I'll stay," I volunteered.

"I'm in," Andrea agreed.

"Well, if you're all staying then I'm—" Glenn started but got cut off by Dale.

"Not you Glenn—you're going," Dale said. "Take-take Carol's Cherokee."

"Me?" Glenn fired back. "Why is it always me?"

"You have to find this farm," Dale instructed him. "Reconnect with our people and see what's going on—but most important, you have to get T-Dog there. This is not an option. That cut has gone from bad to worse." We all looked around and then spotted T-Dog wrapped in a blanket, sitting on the edge of the RV looking completely out of it. "He has a very serious blood infection.

"Get him to that farm. See if they have any antibiotics because, if not, T-Dog will die, no joke."

Daryl walked over to his brother's motorcycle, and then looked annoyed that there were rags on it. He grabbed them and a bag out of the side bags, walking back over to us. Daryl angrily threw the rags at Dale. "Keep your oily rags off my brother's motorcycle. Why'd you wait till now to say something?" He put a clear bag full of pills on the trunk of a nearby car and started to go through it. "Got my brother's stash. Crystal, X—don't need that. Got some kickass painkillers." Daryl tossed the bottle to Dale. "Doxycycline. Not the generic stuff neither. It's first class."

We all looked at him strangely, and he just shrugged. "Merle got the clap on occasion."

I chuckled a bit. That would seem like Merle, even if I had only known him for an hour or so. I walked over to where Ronnie was about to go into the RV, while Dale went to give T-Dog the meds. "I want you to take Alex and Leah to the farm with Glenn and T-Dog," I told him.

Again, Ronnie looked like he didn't want to overstep his boundaries with me, and I sighed at him. "Ronnie, you're one of my oldest and best friends, please don't do that. I'm not my father as an Alpha and I won't be that way. What's wrong?"

Ronnie looked around the group and I did too, noticing that everyone was listening. I ignored them, looking back at Ronnie as he sighed. "Are you sure that you won't need me?" he asked uncertain.

I smiled at him. "I'll be here if anything goes wrong, and we'll join you tomorrow, okay?"

Ronnie smiled back at me and nodded, continuing into the RV. I closed the door gently as to not wake the kids and started walking towards the car that Daryl and I had stayed in the night before. I had left my pack sitting next to it and was going to retrieve it, when I heard footsteps following me. I could tell by how quiet they were, that it was Daryl. Once I came to the car, I turned around to face him.

He gave me a small smirk, knowing that I had heard him and leaned against the tail end of the SUV. "So, what was that about?"

I heaved a heavy sigh and leaned my back against the SUV. "They all seem hesitant around me being the Alpha," I explained. "I think that they all think that I'm gonna be my father."

Daryl quirked an eyebrow. "Why do say that?"

"When I talked to Alex, he asked me if I was going to be demanding like my father," I confessed. "And Ronnie keeps acting like I'm gonna blow up at him every time he wants to question me. It's starting to get frustrating."

Daryl walking over to stand in front of me, and put his hands on my arms, taking my hands in his. "Hey, you're not yer old man, okay?"

I just scoffed at little. "How do you know that?"

Daryl just smiled at little at me. "Matt would talk a lot about how yer father was, and how he would treat others. I don't see you doin' that. You actually care about what is happening with yer pack and you haven't been demanding of them either. Yer a good Alpha to them."

I blushed at his compliments and smiled shyly at him. He smiled back at me before releasing my hands. Daryl nodded his head back towards the RV and I grabbed my pack, following him back to the others.

***Running with the Wolves***

I gave Alex and Leah both a hug and kiss on the head as they got into the back of Carol's Cherokee. T-Dog would ride upfront with Glenn driving, and Ronnie would sit in the back with the kids. I gave Ronnie a hug as well, telling him to be safe. He promised that he would be careful before getting in and they drove off. We all got back into the RV and Carol was crying most of the time. I eventually got up, walking around Daryl on the floor.

He gave me a questioning look and I pointed at the roof, indicating that I was going to keep watch. Daryl nodded in understanding before laying his head down. I climbed the ladder and saw Dale turning to me. He smiled at me. "Can't sleep?"

I shook my head. "Too worried to sleep. Why don't you try to get some rest? I'll keep watch."

Dale hesitated a moment before nodding and went down the ladder, knowing that I could hit something with my bow. As he was about to enter the RV, Daryl and Andrea walked out with flashlights. I met Daryl's eyes as he walked out. "I'm gonna go for a walk," Daryl explained. "Shine some light in the forest. If she's out there, give her something to look at."

I nodded at him. "Be careful."

He nodded back and was about to start walking again when Dale voiced his opinion. "Do you think that's a good idea right now?"

"Dale," Andrea scolded and walked past Daryl who followed after another look at me.

Dale went inside the RV and I just looked out at the darkness that surrounded the highway. I watched as the light from the flashlights faded and thought about the relationship between Daryl and me. I felt like I could tell him anything and he would understand, which was rare for me. I was feeling trusting of him, even more so than I did with Rick.

Rick felt more like a brotherly trust, where Daryl was a completely different story. I knew that he didn't like the public displays of affection, just from when he would kiss me and touch me where no one could see. But he was slowly breaking down the walls that I had built up.

I heard someone open the door to the RV and watched as Carol came out, moving to climb the ladder. I smiled gently at her as she sat in the chair. "Couldn't sleep?"

She shook her head at me, and we sat in silence for quite a while. "Daryl and you seem to be getting close," Carol said, breaking the silence.

I looked at her in surprise but smiled at her all the same. "Yeah, a little. We're still getting to know each other."

I suddenly heard the snapping of twigs and looked out to the forest as the lights from the flashlights came into view. Carol choked on a sob and quickly left the top of the RV and inside. Daryl and Andrea came up just as Carol went inside, and Dale came out. Daryl made eye contact with me and shook his head slightly, telling me that they didn't find anything. He went into the RV, and Dale and Andrea started to talk about her gun.

I tuned out the conversation, knowing that it wasn't really my issue that I should pry into. Andrea came up to the top of the RV. "I'll take watch," she said simply.

Nodding, I went down the ladder and into the RV. Carol was still crying, and Dale had taken the other bed. Daryl was laying on the floor again, so I took one of the seats at the table. Resting my back against the wall, I tried to close my eyes and relax. That night I dreamed of a little girl running through the woods.


End file.
